New York City Fire Department Bureau of EMS

The New York City Fire Department Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, or FDNY EMS, was established on March 17, 1996, following the merger of the New York City Fire Department and New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation's EMS division. FDNY EMS covers all five boroughs of New York City with EMT-B and Paramedic staffed ambulances.

History

Prior to March 17, 1996, municipal ambulances were operated by NYC*EMS under the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, a public benefit corporation, which dispatched both its own ambulances and hospital ambulances. On March 17, 1996, NYC*EMS merged with the New York City Fire Department, forming the Bureau of EMS. Employees of the newly formed bureau were considered FDNY employees and became eligible for promotion to firefighter within the department. As a result of the merger, the FDNY-Bureau of EMS became the largest fire department-based EMS system in the country.

Responsibilities

FDNY EMS is responsible for the operation of all units in the 911 system. FDNY EMS operates 67% of the units in the New York City 911 system. The other 33% of the 911 units are hospital based these are called voluntary ambulances. FDNY EMS maintains and controls Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), and telemetry (online medical control). FDNY EMS is also responsible for all mass casualty incidents (MCI) in New York City.

Organization

Leadership^[3]

• Chief of the Bureau of EMS – Chief James Booth
• Assistant Chief of EMS – Assistant Chief Michael Fitton
• Chief of EMS Communications – Chief Anthony Napoli
• Division Chiefs:
  • EMS Division 1 – Division Chief Roberto Colon
  • EMS Division 2 – Division Chief Rosario Terranova
  • EMS Division 3 – Division Chief Steven Morelli
  • EMS Division 4 – Division Chief Robert Hannefy
  • EMS Division 5 – Division Chief Jonathan Pistilli
  • EMS Division of Training – Division Chief Roger Ahee
  • EMS Operations – Division Chief Sophia Kwok, Division Chief Marylou Aurrichio, and Division Chief Janice Olszweski
  • EMS Haz Tac Battalion (Special Operations)- Captain Paul Miano

FDNY EMS Divisions

The FDNY Bureau of EMS is broken down into 5 Divisions. Each Division has a Chief, a Major Emergency Response Vehicle (MERV), and a Logistical Support Unit (LSU). Each Division is then broken down further into stations which have Supervisors utilizing Conditions Cars, as well as ALS and BLS ambulances. Original NYC EMS Station numbers are in parentheses.

EMS Division 1 – Manhattan

EMS Division 2 – The Bronx

EMS Division 3 – Brooklyn

EMS Division 4 – Queens

EMS Division 5 – Staten Island and Brooklyn South

EMS Special Operations, Haz Tac Battalion

Unit Types

FDNY Haz-Tac Ambulance

• Ambulance – The New York City Fire Department staffs EMT-Basic and Paramedic Ambulances to provide emergency medical services to the city of New York. These are commonly referred to by the slang term "bus".
• Haz-Tac Ambulance – 39 EMS units, known as Hazardous Material Tactical Units (Haz-Tac Ambulances), are trained to the Haz Mat Technician level allowing them to provide emergency medical care and decontamination in a hazardous environment.
• Rescue Medic – An ALS, or Paramedic ambulance that are trained to the Haz Mat Technician level and also trained as Rescue Technicians specializing in high angle rescue, trench rescue, crush medicine etc. There are 11 units citywide.

• EMS Conditions Car – A vehicle that is assigned to an Emergency Medical Service Lieutenant or Captain, generally assigned one per station the supervisor oversees the activities of the ambulance crews in their jurisdiction.
• EMS MERV – The MERV (Major Emergency Response Vehicle) is assigned to all major medical emergencies within its borough, it is capable of permitting several patients to be treated in one place. There is one MERV assigned to each Division.
• 'EMS METU' - The METU (Medical Evacuation Transportation Unit) is used for mass casualty incidents (MCIs) and can hold for transport 24 non-ambulatory patients, 32 seated patients, and, or 10 wheel chair bound patients in the walk way for transport to area hospitals. One is located in EMS Divisions 3, 4 & 5. All 3 were purchased with Homeland Security funds.
• EMS LSU – The LSU (Logistical Support Unit) is a vehicle assigned to all medical emergencies that have multiple patients, it carries a surplus of certain medical supplies used at MCI's. In addition this unit is also responsible for going to retrieve spinal immobilization equipment from area hospitals.

Apparatus

Livery

FDNY Ambulance 492

New FDNY Ford F-550 Ambulances

Immediately after the takeover of NYC EMS the FDNY changed the livery of the existing ambulances by changing the color of the striping on the vehicles to blue and red. The initials FDNY were placed on the vehicle with two letters on both sides of an existing Star of Life, with the word ambulance underneath. The drivers side and passenger side doors were also adorned with the new command patch. Subsequent vehicles were ordered in the traditional FDNY livery of white over red with a set of three stripes (yellow, white, yellow) running down the side. All other markings were kept in place.

Vehicles

The FDNY Bureau of EMS utilizes Type I Ambulances, which are based on the chassis-cabs of light duty pickup-trucks, This type was chosen over the Type II ambulance that are based on a passenger/cargo van chassis and the Type III which are based on chassis-cabs of light duty vans due to the ability to fully customize the passenger compartment. Type I ambulances also offer a higher load-capacity and additional compartment space when compared to the two other types. These ambulances are also more resilient to the stresses placed on them in a high volume EMS system in an inner city environment.

Beginning in 2011, the FDNY has begun ordering ambulances from Wheeled Coach which are based on a Dodge Ram 4500 Crew Cab Chassis. The shift to a four-door ambulance is due to the tremendous call volume and harsh 24/7 cycle that the FDNY operates in. the additional cab space will provide for crew comfort, additional storage, and the opportunity to have more than two people riding in the forward-facing configuration thus increasing safety if a third crew member is assigned.^[4]

See also

• Organization of the New York City Fire Department

References

1. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/pdf/vital_stats_2010_cy.pdf
2. ↑ "2013 Citywide Performance Indicators". FDNY. Retrieved 12 January 2014. 
3. ↑ http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/pdf/fdny_org_chart.pdf
4. ↑ http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/vehicles/ambulances/articles/1005820-Wheeled-Coach-shows-off-new-features-FDNY-ambulance-at-FDIC/